As the early voting period approaches its last day on Friday, voters in Midland County have cast their ballots in a pattern reminiscent of the low turnouts in the past.

In a booming city with a population approaching the 150,000 mark, about 4,202 people voted early either at the County Annex or via mail as of Tuesday, which is an average of about 600 voters per day. Assuming the average number of daily voters remains the same, final early voting counts could be in the 6,000 range, according to Reporter-Telegram estimates.

In the 2007 mayoral election between Mayor Wes Perry and Stephanie Sparkman, 6,215 votes were cast in the early period, which was about 50 percent of the total number of votes.

In the 2004 race between Mike Canon and Stephanie Sparkman, roughly 5,200 people voted early, the lowest turnout in recent history.

And in what has been the best turnout in the last 15 years, the 2001 mayoral election featuring Mike Canon, Dale Brown and Bill Dingus brought out 7,220 early voters.

The current slate of mayoral candidates had mixed reactions to the recent turnout. Jerry Morales and John James said they believe the numbers are lower than expected, while Kathy White and Keith McLelland were satisfied with the turnout.

“I think the numbers are low, considering it’s such an important election,” James said. “I hope the numbers are not an indication of the final vote.”

Morales and James both listed the lack of weekend early voting days and the lack of free time in a booming economy as possible factors contributing to the low turnout numbers.

“Having early voting six days a week may have helped,” Morales said. “And having only one early voting location doesn’t help much.”

While White said she was enthusiastic about the turnout so far, she thought that with the influx of new Midlanders, some new residents still may not have a Texas ID, which is one of the forms of acceptable ID voters must now present in order to vote in a Texas election.

McLelland, optimistic about the turnout, said he believes that the early voting numbers for this mayoral election will surpass the 7,220 record set in 2001.

“I think people are starting to pay attention (to local elections),” McLelland said. “The debates and forums have all been well- attended.”

And Dan Anderson, while saying he does not know why the early voting turnout has been low, commented on his campaigning efforts and its effect on the voters.

“One of the things I needed to do, to be successful, was to energize a segment of the voting population,” Anderson said.